Bisti Wilderness Area

This Thanksgiving we visited the Bisti Wilderness Area just south of Farmington, NM.  The Bisti is the Four Corners version of the Badlands and covers almost 40,000 acres.  Check out the trip details and photos at our link to National Geographic Maps' TOPO website HERE.

Lunchtime!

Casting our shadows over the Hoodoo city.

The desolate landscape.

A Semi-Interesting "Fact"

A few years ago (December, 2005), we led a backpacking class from SEMO from Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park to Taum Sauk Mountain State Park via the Ozark Trail.  Only DAYS after we came off the trail the Taum Sauk Reservoir broke and released a catastrophic flood directly through the area we had just hiked (that was a close one!).

In October, 2010 the section of the Ozark Trail that was wiped out by the flood finally reopened and we were on the trail hiking it for our hiking guide to Missouri the next day.  The semi-interesting fact is that we were probably the last ones to hike the trail before the flood and the first ones to hike it when it reopened after the flood.

Some trail wisdom:

An Ozark Trail blaze/marker.

This tilted blaze/marker indicates a sharp right turn in the trail.

Pico de Orizaba

Pico de Orizaba

Our training for Pico de Orizaba has officially started!  Oh yeah, if you haven't heard, we are headed to Mexico in March 2011 to climb Pico de Orizaba.  The trip will be a class that is offered through San Juan College's OLER Program (JD's job).  Pico is an 18,000 ft plus volcano!  It is the third highest mountain in North America and is the second most prominent volcanic peak next to Kilimanjaro in Africa.

Training right now consists of 4 to 5 four-mile runs a week, about 30 minutes on the stair-climber (4 times a week), and weight lifting.  Once more snow hits the peaks up north we'll be spending several Saturday's climbing at high altitude.

After the first of the year, the training will intensify a bit with a lot more cardio, core work, and some Mountain Athlete workouts!  We are gonna be jacked and tan for Pico!

We'll keep you posted.

Come and Get 'em!

Our first Falcon Guide book is out on the shelves! Okay, so it is a revision of an already written book but our names are on the inside cover and JD and Aspen are gracing the cover.  Our second revision is due out soon and it will be chocked full of Emily's photos.

Get 'em at places like Barnes & Noble, Borders, and Amazon.

Our fully authored and photoed Best Easy Day Hikes St. Louis and Best Hikes Near St.Louis will be hitting shelves next year.  Best Easy Day Hikes Springfield, MO and Best Easy Day Hikes Ozarks might be out as early as next November as well.

Let us know if you need an autographed copy. HAHA!

Purgatory Creek

We are trying to get settled into our "grown-up" jobs here in NM and still get some playtime in.  Last weekend we hit the road and drove up to Durango.  We took a little hike down the Purgatory Creek Trail just north of Durango.

After hiking about a half mile down to Purgatory Creek we decided to take the trail less traveled.  We bushwhacked our way north up the canyon and then west to hook back up with trail.  We saw a ton of wildlife and Arnie and Aspen were in heaven.

Emily and Aspen at the trailhead.

JD and Arnie near a secluded lake.

Emily and Aspen pose for a pic.

Our First Road Trip Out of Farmington

So, we finally got settled in here in Farmington and took a 4 day road trip up to Frisco, CO.  We arrived late at night just outside of Breckenridge and decided to crash in the car (just like our old Traveling Trainer days).  We woke up to these guys outside of our car.

Four of the 20 plus mountain goats we saw that morning.

We're Headed Back Out West!!!

JD has landed a job at San Juan College in Farmington, NM as the new Coordinator for Outdoor Recreation (we will still be writing for Falcon Guides as well).  We are super-excited!  Farmington sits just miles from the Four Corners and looks a little something like the picture below:

Colorado 14ers will be to our north and northeast, Utah canyons will be to our west and northwest, New Mexico Rockies to our east, and Arizona desert to our west.

Can't wait!!!